Retail Rock Star Blog

Simple Techniques To Draw Attention To Your Displays

 A good display will get people to stop and look rather than pass it by.  Big, elaborate displays are great, but that's not appropriate or cost effective to do for everything in your store.  Simple techniques will stop people and get them to linger.  The longer they linger, the more likely they are to buy.  Here are some ideas to draw attention and slow people down:

1.  Set free candy, snacks or drinks on or near the display. If you've ever been to a grocery store on Saturday, you know no one can resist stopping for a treat. While they stop, they shop that display.

2.  Put out testers if applicable.  People like to try things out before they buy them.  As evidenced by any department store costmetic counter, testers result in sales.

 3.  Put something unexpected in the midst of the product.  One of Tiffany's most successful window displays consisted of a large diamond ring falling out of a Cracker Jack box.  In the photo at left, nostalgic candy dots were sprinkled in midst of candy colored & polka dotted apparel.  The unexpected combination got people to stop and look.

Interactive displays, food and drink, and  unexpected elements will all stop customers and get them to look at -- and buy -- your products.

No Exceptions In Your Store's Message (or...Get Mick Jagger Out Of Your Opera!)

I walked into a fine china specialty store recently.  In the midst of their elegant products and presentation were a few strangely unrelated items such as notepads, bath products, and even a few children's sweaters.  Curious, I asked the man behind the counter how these items found their way into his store.  "My wife fell in love with them at a buying show," he said.  "They really have no reason to be here other than that."

Everyone who has owned a store has made this mistake at least once and probably more.   Maybe you saw something you just couldn't resist even though it was unrelated to your concept. Maybe you wanted to buy something at wholesale for yourself but in order to get it you had to buy a case or two, and the rest ended up in your store.  Whatever the reason, it doesn't belong there and you know it -- and so do your customers.  You want to be known as THE specialty store to go to for A, B, and C.  So don't buy D, E, and F just because you couldn't pass it up.  All of the products you sell need to fit in with your concept and categories.  Otherwise, you risk hurting your image and confusing your customers. 

Think of it this way, rock bands don't have opera singers as their opening act, and vice-versa.  Why?  Because these acts are for different audiences.  Imagine how confused an audience waiting to hear an opera would be if the curtains flew open to reveal the Rolling Stones as the opening act?  It doesn't mean that you can't like both opera and the Rolling Stones, but you go to different venues to see them, and everything about the experience is different.  The same is true for shopping in a specialty store.  It's supposed to specialize in something.  Items that aren't within that specialty confuse your audience and look out of place. You don't go to a shoe store expecting to see a table of pots & pans.  You don't go to a furniture store expecting to see a rack of pants.  In the case of the fine china shop I mentioned above, the "extra" products they had didn't relate to their concept in any way, interrupted the otherwise elegant look of the store, and cheapened it.  

Don't send mixed messages about who you are.  When you define your store concept and categories (see our 08/27/09 blog) strictly follow it when buying for your store, and be disciplined.  You don't want to be the one that has Mick Jagger in the middle of your opera!

Take Your Display Cues from the Manufacturers

The highlight of the year for most store owners is attending the buying shows.  It's so exciting to see all the booths of new, perfectly merchandised products.  Yes, perfectly merchandised.  No one knows better how to show off their products than the manufacturers -- they have spent a lot of time and money to determine what will make their items look most attractive to you, the buyer.  And if it catches your eye, it's going to catch the eyes of your customers. 

Here are some guidelines to follow when you go to a trade show:

1.  Buy deeply in the amazing new line you found.  It looks amazing because of the display and all the coordinating merchandise you see.  If you just buy a piece or two to "try it out," it's not going to attract any attention in your store.  It won't sell and you'll think you made a mistake being attracted to it in the first place, when really you didn't buy it and display it properly.  So make a bold decision -- commit to it and buy it deeply or pass it up.  Unless you're an antique or re-sale shop, a store with a piece or two of this-and-that doesn't make an impression on the customer. That doesn't mean you have to get every single thing -- but buy a big enough selection to make a statement in your store and to re-create the look and feel of their amazing display.

2.  Ask the manufacturer for point-of-purchase (p.o.p.) displays.  Many companies will give them to you free if you are buying deeply in their products.  You can make this a point of negotiation in the buying process.  If they can't give them to you free, they will most likely give them to you at their cost, with no markup.  This usually makes them quite affordable.  

3.  Always bring a camera (and now most cell phones have cameras) and ask companies you're buying from if you can take a picture of their display.  Then go back to your store and do your best to recreate it when the shipment arrives.

4.  If you need it, ask for assistance.  Some store owners like to set up their own displays, and others don't have the time or talent for it.  If the latter is you, ask the manufacturer if they have a representative in your area that will come out and help you set up the display when it arrives. Many sales reps are more than willing to do this for you, as well as return to take inventory and place re-orders if need be.

Make the most of your exciting trade show experience by re-creating the best in show for your customers.